Bike-commute day 34—to Courteous Mass and home

I rode hard and fast to make it to Courteous Mass a few minutes before the scheduled start time, and I arrived by 17:20.

About 20 cyclists took part in a ride from Fifth/Third Field to the Second Street Market, then past the Cannery and south on Wayne Avenue (waved hello to Janelle at Press) to Fifth Street and through the Oregon District. We followed Fifth Street past the Neon Movies to Wilkinson Street, went north to Monument, and crossed the Monument Avenue Bridge. Then a block north to Belmonte Park North between the Dayton Art Institute and the Masonic Temple. From there, we took Belmonte Park East to Grand Avenue, turned left to Belmonte Park North and north to Five Oaks Avenue. Then we went east to Forest, north past Corpus Christi Church to Helena, and east to cross the Great Miami River and turn south on River Bend Road. Then we joined the bikeway, crossed the Green Bridge, took the underpass below Patterson Boulevard, and ended at the Bicycle Hub. (about 8.5 miles in 45 minutes)

Ride conditions
Temperature: 81 to 88°F at 16:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph variable
Clothing: Skinsuit; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed-gear
Time: 01:18:10 for 17.59 miles
Heart rate: 116 bpm average, 145 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 22 cyclists, 7 pedestrians, 1 dog
Here is a playback of the ride.

Bike-commute day 20—to Courteous Mass and home

Courteous Mass is the local version of the critical mass movement, in which a collection of different types of cyclists join for a group ride on city streets. With a visibility that comes with numbers, the cyclists gain an advantage over a single person on a bicycle. Auto drivers find it hard to overlook the cyclist group, and their presence is unique enough that drivers allow themselves to be less distracted by all their non-driving tasks that they've become accustomed to pursuing while driving.

Using the idea of courtesy instead of criticism, the grouped riders say hello to passing motorists and people on their porches or the sidewalks. Friendly waves abound, from and to the cyclist group. And none of them one-finger waves.

Another aspect of the courtesy of the massed riders is scrupulous obedience to traffic laws, even if it may mean the group splits between one green light and the next. And that happens frequently enough downtown, even in a small group. In such a case, at least one cyclist from the lead group remains behind to guide the separated cyclists back to the main group.

This afternoon, about a dozen cyclists collected at Fifth-Third Field by 5:30 and took a quiet route to the University of Dayton via Wayne Avenue and the Southpark neighborhood. The return took Brown Street  and Jefferson Street north to First Street and then Patterson Boulevard to return to Fifth-Third Field.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 61 to 65°F at 16:10
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 10 mph from the south and west
Clothing: 2-layer top, skinsuit; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 01:24:2 for 16.55 miles
Heart rate:114 bpm average, 144 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 5 cyclists
Here is a playback of the ride. 5th Garmin day.

Note about the illustration
The line drawings were published online and captured by me during the playback. The video provides stills from The Art of Frank Patterson by Horace F. Button, which was published 1952 by Temple Press, Ltd.

Nice day—so far—for a bike ride, at Courteous Mass

The sun is shining, the winds are mild, the temperature is warming (low 50s). Nonetheless, today was not a day for a bike commute. Too many errands:

• Pick up several copies of the Dayton Daily News, because an article by Robin McMacken was published in the Life section. (The article includes portions based on an interview of me.)
• Leave the Trek 850 at Kettering Bike Shop for some adjustment.
• Carry my Pedro's floor pump back to work.
• Change the clothes in my locker at work.
• And then this evening, if it's not raining by then, I can also take my Lotus fixed-gear to ride in Courteous Mass.